Blackest Knight
by SpotConlon'sGirl
Summary: A girl is in an accident and sent back in time to The Opera Populaire, just before the new managers arrive. But where does she awaken? In the Phantom's lair, of course! Movie, with a bit of Leroux. ErikOC
1. My Sports Car Loving Days Are Over

**A/N: Alright, I haven't written in a while, which means I'm a bit rusty, so play nice. The plot bunnies have been bouncing around in my head for a _Phantom_ story, so here it is. Before you read any further, allow me to do the honors of warning you that this will be an Erik/OC and there will be Raoul/Christine bashing. I've read Leroux's book and just cannot imagine Erik and Christine getting together, especially when Christine is so naive. O.K., since that's out of the way, sorry for the short chappie, but I had to have some sort of intro. Plus I've been saying I'd post _something_ soon, so I wanted to get this out ASAP. Alright, shutting up. Enjoy and don't forget to review! **

**Chapter 1**

_My Sports Car Loving Days Are Over_

"Sage! Wait up!"

I stopped and turned to look at my friend Betsy.

"What?" I asked, panting slightly. We had only been jogging for about 10 minutes and Betsy had already called a break. She trotted up to me and leaned on her knees.

"You...need...to...slow down...God," she panted, shaking her head at me. "You aren't...jogging alone. In fact...you weren't...even jogging. You...were...running."

"Oh. Right. Sorry," I said, making a face when I realized that I _had_ been running, not jogging. In my defense, I usually jog, I mean _run_, alone so I kind of forgot that I had someone with me. "You want to try again?"

By now, Betsy had gotten her breath back and was stretching her back.

"Sure," she said, grinning at me, "As long as you don't start sprinting again."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Can't promise anything."

It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Oh fine. Let's go."

We started off again, me going much slower so Betsy could keep up. Not that she was out of shape or anything, but she didn't have my lithe body build. Plus I did sit ups everyday and ran as much as I could. Hey, contrary to popular belief, working out is a lot of fun. Well...at least for me. Anyway. Back on topic.

We were jogging, yes actually jogging, through Betsy's nice, quiet upper-class neighborhood (her dad's a lawyer and her mom does something with the government) on a straight stretch of empty road when I noticed a silver Corvette crazily pull out from a driveway a few yards up the road.

"Hey, nice car up ahead," I commented, earning another eye roll from my buddy on my left. Let's just say I have a...thing...for sports cars and we'll leave it at that. Anywho, this particular Corvette was coming towards us a little too fast for my liking. After all, this _was_ a neighborhood, not the main drag, so I said, "Betsy, let's go up on the sidewalk."

She looked at me, then back up towards the car that was already close enough that I could see the two little flags on the front. "Why the sidewalk? We can just go closer to the curb then head back to the middle once the car passes us."

I couldn't explain it, but I just had this gut feeling that we needed to get off the road, so I tried again.

"Betsy. The Corvette isn't slowing down, which is not good. Can we please get to the sidewalk, like now!"

"Alright, chill," she said, jogging slowly over to the left, out of the middle of the road. But she wasn't fast enough, because just when I thought we made it before the crazy driver got to us, the car clipped me in the side with a _thunk_, sending me flying. I was airborne for a few seconds, though it seemed much longer, before I landed with a painful thud on the concrete and skid a few feet. I heard Betsy's terrified scream and the squeal of tires, then the slam of a door and a new, scared-sounding female voice as black started creeping into the edges of my vision.

"Oh my God, is she O.K.?"

"Just call 911! Oh God, Sage!"

Then everything went completely black.

Shit.


	2. Ghosts, Cellars, and Phantoms, Oh My!

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I wanted to push out another update for y'all as a little gift, so I hope y'all like it. Remember, review! **

**Chapter 2**

_Ghosts, Cellars, and Phantoms, Oh My!_

Well, everything went completely black for about oh, five seconds or so before my eyes opened wide and I felt myself being lifted into the air.

'_Hey, these EMS guys got here pretty fast,_' I thought, then realized that my body was being tilted up to a vertical position. '_Wait, aren't they supposed to lay me flat? What the heck are they...Oh, shit..._'

Then I saw my body sprawled out on the ground in front of me. Wait, in front of me? I looked down at myself and almost screamed in surprise because I was no longer _me_. I mean, my body was white and all see through-y, like a ghost. What the fuck? I looked at my...dead...body again (God, it's so hard to say that) and felt a wave of sadness pass over me. Betsy was kneeling beside my body, holding my hand and bawling her eyes out. I reached forward and sighed when my hand went right through her. I turned away from the morbid scene, ignoring Betsy's cries only to be faced with a new problem: What the hell was I still doing here?

I mean, I was dead, right? I certainly didn't feel or hear any heartbeat. So what was up with the whole ghost thing? I didn't do anything in my former life to warrant being turned into a ghost. Well, there was that one time with the gasoline...but no, that wouldn't have done it, would it? It was just some harmful fun, nothing too serious. I gave an irritated sigh and crossed my arms. That is, until I started spinning. Then I just started screaming my head off.

"Holy shit! What the hell is going on! Whoa, I'm starting to get dizzy..."

It was true. I was spinning at a _very_ fast pace and it was making me very dizzy. I tried closing my eyes but that made it worse, so I just kept them open, everything a blur, colors meshing together to make a weird canvas. I breathed a sigh of relief when the spinning slowed, then screamed again when I plummeted, my heart in my throat. Well, sort of since I didn't really have a heart anymore...oh, forget it.

Now I had pretty much stopped spinning and was just dropping and I could see things as I passed them. Let's see...dark blue, for the sky. Night sky to be exact. Oh, look, a white cloud. And another one over there. And a full moon. How exciting. Apparently I was dropping from the sky (don't know how I got up here in the first place) like some kind of meteor or something, but I was still translucent so no one could see me even if I wanted them to.

O.K., so we've already established that I'm falling from the sky. Looking down between my feet I saw lights. Lots of lights. Then I realized that I was dropping into a city of some sort. What city and where is it located? No idea. As I got got closer, I thought it was weird that I hadn't seen any skyscrapers yet. I mean, I had broken out of the last layer of clouds and was getting really close to the city itself and nothing. Nada. No big buildings, towers, anything. Odd. Alright, I've entered the city and...Oh. My. God. Toto, there's no way in hell we're in Kansas anymore.

Looking around in horror, I see candle-lit street lights, small brick buildings, cobblestone streets, horses, and people in costume. Except I have the sinking feeling they aren't in costume, but in actual clothes. Did I mention there aren't any cars? Nope. Just horse-drawn carriages. Men in elegant suits and top hats walk along with women in Victorian style dresses who giggle and flutter their fans in front of their faces in a coy manner. Oh this was horrible. But hey, at least I wasn't dropping anymore. Nope, I was hovering right above the buildings, taking in the whole city. It was actually quite big for the period I was in. (I was sticking with the Victorian era thing) There was also a fairly large building a few streets up ahead, but I wasn't close enough to see what it was.

I gave a small squeak of surprise when I jerked and started flying again, this time moving horizontally. In fact, I noticed that I was headed toward that large building I had been looking at just a few seconds ago. I passed building after building before breaking out into a wide square, the large structure I had been eying earlier right in front of me. In fact, that large structure was beginning to look_ very_ familiar. It was magnificent. With pale stone columns, three different stairways, gold and red filigree all over the stonework...it was beautiful. And then I read the brass plate above the large double doors: The Opera Populaire.

Holy shit! That's why it looked familiar! I had seen this building before...and that street, and that one...in one of my favorite movies: The Phantom of the Opera.

'_Oh jeez, I'm going crazy, I know it,_' I thought, rubbing my eyes to make sure I was really seeing the building in front of me. Yep, still there. It was bad enough that I was a ghost, but this? This was totally cliche. What, was I supposed to live out the rest of my un-dead days haunting the Opera? They already had a "ghost" for that, they didn't need me.

It didn't faze me when I flew higher into the air until I was over the roof of the Opera Populaire. After dying, turning into a ghost, dropping from the sky in a completely different era, I was pretty set. Didn't even faze me when I was hovering with my feet a few inches from the stone roof. It _did_ faze me when my feet and then the rest of my body went through the roof and down into the building below. I barely had time to notice the extravagant interior as my body picked up speed and I continued my journey downwards. I had a bad feeling that I knew exactly where I was headed, but I refused to voice it aloud in hopes that I was wrong.

Close, but no cigar, because after dropping through the entire Opera house, I finally landed in the cellar. In fact, not _just_ the cellar. Nope. In the middle of the cellar. You know, where the freakin' Phantom of the Opera lives. Except, he wasn't home. At least, I didn't see him anywhere. Of course, there may not really be a Phantom...but I highly doubted that there would be an organ, doors, clothes, candles, etc. all over the place if no one lived down here.

I took a step forward, eager to explore before the Phantom or whoever lived here came back, then froze. Hold up, a step? I slowly looked down and almost started jumping for joy. My body was back! I held a hand over my heart and felt a beat. Hallelujah! Plus, I had my lightly bronzed skin back that I had swam all summer long to get. Only downside was that I was still in my short running shorts and tank top I had been in before I "died" and it was a little drafty down here, making me shiver. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.

I slowly picked my way around the stone steps, careful not to step on any pieces of parchment or anything that looked important, and made my way up to the organ. The instrument was huge, with beautiful, slightly worn-looking ivory keys and shining brass pipes. There was parchment everywhere; on the floor, the organ itself, and some that were lying dangerously close to the many lit candelabras that were scattered all over the lair. I frowned and picked up the pieces of parchment close to the candles and gently slid them to the side, careful not to disturb them too much. For all I knew, Erik had them in some specific order and would be pretty pissed that I had knocked them out of order.

'_Scratch that, he'll be pretty pissed I touched anything in the first place,_' I thought with a wry smile.

Wrapping my arms around myself for warmth, I continued my inspection with interest. Erik's writing area was a total mess, with ink pots, quills, blank parchment, and other odds and ends all over the desk. I moved on to the mini opera stage he had made and leaned over to take a better look, eying it with interest. The woodwork was amazing, and the detail on the dolls was brilliant. Highly unlikely, but if he was ever in need of extra money, he could seriously make some big buckeroos carving dolls and houses and selling them.

I straightened and pursed my lips. Where was Erik, anyway? I didn't hear a thing, and the portcullis was closed. Not that it mattered, of course, since there were many passages he could go through without crossing the lake.

'_He's probably on the upper levels doing his haunting thing_,' I thought, sighing and wondering yet again what the heck I was doing here. It's not like I was all sad and everything that I had died since the home life wasn't that great anyway with mom being a bitch most of the time and my step-dad being a drunk asshole. But still.

I swear I jumped a mile when I heard a sinister cough (if coughs can be sinister) behind me. I whirled around and froze like a deer in headlights. Erik was standing there, a not-so-pleased expression on his face.

"What. Are. You. Doing here."


	3. What Now?

**A/N: Another update for everyone and a BIG thanks to my reviewers: Timeflies, Phantom Hobbit, and Maxine I love Erik. This started out as a sorta smartass chapter, but turned into something a little deeper, which surprised me. lol I suppose that's what I get for listening to the soundtrack and Marion Raven while writing. Enjoy and_ don't forget to review!_**

**Chapter 3**

_What Now?_

My mouth was opening and closing as I tried to find an answer to Erik's question, but nothing came out. Nothing coherent, in any case.

"Uh..."

'_Wow, Sage, so eloquent_,' I mentally berated myself. But come on! Here was Erik in all his dark Phantom glory and dammit, he was pretty intimidating.

"I don't know," I blurted out. "I died, then I got turned into a real ghost, not that you aren't a real ghost or anything, though you do look pretty alive, and I flew here and I don't know what year it is or if I'm just dreaming this whole thing up, I got dumped here, and I'm really, really sorry I touched your papers but I was afraid they would catch on fire."

I took a huge breath of air and realized I had been babbling. I winced and hoped Erik hadn't caught everything I had said, but one look at his narrowed eyes completely squashed _that_ hope.

"Excuse me?" he growled, stalking towards me, graceful and deadly as a cat. I automatically took a few steps backwards and licked my lips nervously, gasping when my back met with a cold, unfeeling stone wall.

"I'm not lying," I whimpered. "Look at my clothes." I gestured to my red tank top and short, black running shorts. "Do they look like any kind of clothes you've ever seen before?"

Erik's scowling face lightened a bit as he took in my clothing, but I could tell he still wasn't convinced. Hell, I wouldn't be convinced either. The only thing _I'd_ be convinced of would be that I was a crazy woman.

"Here," I said, giving it another try. My running shorts had pockets in them, and reaching my hand into my left pocket, I drew out my drivers license and a small wad of money I had. I frowned when the wad of money unrolled to reveal three, one-dollar bills. Damn. Oh well.

'_It's not like I could use it here anyway,_' I thought, placing said items into Erik's outstretched, black gloved hand. I worried my bottom lip as Erik carefully looked everything over, stepping away from me to move closer to the light so he could read better.

I almost huffed in frustration when his face remained stoic, betraying nothing of his emotions.

"Well," he said, glancing up at me, "It seems that you were telling the truth, Mademoiselle."

I gave a sigh of relief and a little bit of pleasure at hearing his deep, sensual voice. O.K., regaining control now.

"Though I do not know how this is possible," he continued, placing my things on his desk and motioning me forward, "You are obviously standing in front of me. Now, what are we to do with you?"

I hesitantly stepped forward (after all, this _is_ the Phantom we're dealing with) and worried my lip again as Erik walked in a lazy circle around me, eying me up and down in a manner that made me shiver, and not just from the cold. I tired to discreetly smooth back my long, deep red hair, but I wasn't so sure it worked.

While he was studying me, I was busy studying him as well. He looked remarkably like Gerard Butler, but this Erik, the _real_ Erik, was a few inches taller, seemed about the same in the muscle area and had this dark, foreboding presence that hung about him like a curtain, preventing anyone from getting too close. It didn't help that he was dressed in black trousers, a black overcoat with a white poet's shirt underneath, black boots, and he had on that wicked cool black cape and his white mask. His hair was black and thick, making you want to run your hands through it; slicked back with some kind of gel and from what I could tell, very much in the real department. I couldn't see his eyes that well, but from what I could see, they were an unusual amber color.

'_He's really quite handsome_,' I mused. '_Everything else makes up for the "deformed" side of his face. Speaking of which, I wonder what it looks like._'

But even I wasn't stupid enough to try and sneak a peek. Oh no, I had read the book (which at this point seemed a bit inaccurate) and seen the movie enough times to know how much of a temper he had and I, for one, did NOT want to be on the receiving end of it.

"Do you sing, Mademoiselle?" Erik asked, startling me from my thoughts. "Or dance, perhaps?"

I shook my head to both. The only singing I did was in the shower, and the dancing...well, I was good at dancing, just not the kind Erik was thinking of. I almost smirked at the thought, but stopped myself just in time.

Erik gave a sigh. "Can you do anything?"

"For this time period? No, not really," I said, now feeling quite useless and very, very lost. "But I could learn."

He shook his head. "You are too old for the ballet and singing lessons would take much too long for you to be even passable for the chorus."

I shook my head helplessly. What the hell was I doing here, when I couldn't even _do_ anything?

"Well then what am I supposed to do?" I asked, fully realizing the extent of my situation. "I have no money, no skills, and nowhere to go."

Erik stared at me for a few moments, seemingly lost in thought.

"Maybe...maybe I could...stay with you?" I ventured, crossing my fingers behind my back. I really hoped he said yes, since there was nowhere else for me to go.

"No," he said flatly. "Absolutely not."

"Erik please! I have-" I realized my mistake a split second too late, for in that second Erik had moved faster than I thought any man could and now had me pressed up against the wall, a hand around my throat.

"How do you know my name?" he hissed, angry amber eyes boring into my wide, frightened hazel ones. So much for not getting on his bad side.

"You...are a character...in a book!" I gasped, vainly scrabbling at Erik's iron grip on my throat. "From my...time! I know...about...everyone. Erik...I can't breathe..."

He let go of me so abruptly that I fell to the floor, gasping for air. I closed my eyes and lay on the cold ground as my rapid heartbeat slowed and I got fresh air into my lungs. I heard the sound of Erik's retreating footsteps, the swish of his cape, and then nothing; no sound whatsoever. I opened my eyes and slowly raised my head off the ground, seeing no sign of Erik. I raised myself into a sitting position, back leaning against the wall for support and brought my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Oh God," I breathed, resting my head on my knees. "What do I do now?"

The feeling of helplessness returned and I finally let myself cry, the tears coming slow at first, then turning into full blown sobs.

Only then did I remember that Erik's eyes were amber...with flecks of forest green in them.


	4. Realizations and Madame Giry

**A/N: Hey, got another chappie out for y'all, hope you like it. Check out my Xanga site to see how I picture Sage...don't forget to review! (Mucho thanks to Timeflies, Maxine I love Erik, powderedsugar, dreamysherry, Musicalgoddess, and of course Phantom Hobbit, for reviewing.)**

**Chapter 4**

_Realizations and Madame Giry_

I sat there crying for who knows how long, trying to get myself together and find a way out of this mess. Needless to say, it wasn't working, because my only thoughts were of how very real this whole situation was, and of course, the shell-shocker that I was stuck here, possibly forever.

I sniffled and wiped the tears off my cheeks when I heard Erik returning. I bet he was making that much noise on purpose so I wouldn't freak as much, rather than walk normally (which to him was completely noiseless) and scare the shit out of me. I quickly stood when he came back down the tunnel, no emotion on his face whatsoever.

"Come. And do not get lost."

I followed behind, trying not to touch him as much as possible, but stay close enough that I could still see him. That plan didn't work out very well because as soon as we turned a corner, the light we had from the candles in the lair disappeared and we were left in pitch black darkness. I tried waving a hand in front of my face, but saw nothing. I had to use my ears to follow the swish of Erik's cape, until after a pause, I didn't hear anything.

"Erik?" I whispered, then louder, "Erik!"

I stopped and bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. I could go forward and get lost, or I could try to find my way back to the lair and end up getting lost _anyway_. I opted to go forward, and did so, one hand on the wall so I could feel my way along. I walked slowly, relying on my feet to lead the way and not fall into any traps.

Oh God, I had forgotten about the traps. That thought made me stop and stand completely still, wondering if I was close to any. I screamed when I felt something run over my foot. I kicked out and was rewarded with a squeak as the rat scurried away into the darkness. Good. Run away.

"Erik!" I tried again, desperation and anger in my voice. I suddenly felt another presence close to me and a bit of cloth brushed against my bare legs.

"I believe I said, _do not get lost!_" Erik hissed angrily, grabbing my by the elbow and dragging me along with him.

"Well gee, sorry that I can't see _and_ I don't know where the hell I'm going," I retorted, glaring at him. I hoped it was him, because since I couldn't really see I might have been glaring at a wall for all I knew. I heard a low rumble ahead of me and wondered if he was growling or silently laughing. I really hoped it was the latter, because I was too scared, tired, and pissed to deal with his temper right now.

After a few more minutes of walking through the tunnel, taking so many twists and turns that I was getting dizzy and hearing only the sound of my tennis shoes on the stone, we finally broke out into a dimly lit hallway. I turned to see a panel in the wooden wall shut with a tiny _click_. Very sneaky. Now that we were out in the open and I was able to see a bit better, Erik let go of my arm as if he had been burned. I glared at him and rubbed my tender elbow, sure it was bruised. He started walking again, staying in the shadows as I trailed behind, trying to keep up. Damn, he had long legs! At my 5"4' height, I was almost trotting to keep up.

We walked along the hall until our walkway joined a bigger one at a 'T'. We turned right and I noticed that things were less opulent in this neck of the woods, so I guessed we were headed towards the dormitories. My guess was confirmed when the hall became narrow, other halls branching off of it, doors on both sides. Everything was silent and the hall was dark, except for a few strips of moonlight that shone down from a large window or two.

We turned a corner and went down a couple of steps before stopping at a thick wooden door. Erik tapped softly and the door was opened by none other than Madame Giry in a nightdress and robe. She quickly let us in, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"Erik," she hissed, shooting me a suspicious look. "What are you doing here?"

He gestured to me. "This was the girl I found in the cellar."

Realization dawned in Madame Giry's eyes as she took a good look at my pitiful, shivering form and quickly grabbed a blanket, throwing it over my shoulders.

"Thank you," I murmured, drawing the blanket closer to my body. Finally, warmth.

"As I told you before, she has nowhere to go and she thinks she can stay with me," Erik continued. "Perhaps you can find someplace for her."

It was more of a demand than a request, and Madame Giry knew it. She straightened up, eyes flashing angrily, yet when she spoke her voice was calm and controlled.

"No, Erik," she said firmly. "There is no more room in the dormitories. You of all people should know this."

Erik almost snarled at the insult, but kept quiet.

"I may be able to use her as an assistant, but she would still have nowhere to sleep. She must stay with you at night. We could say she lives outside of the Opera house."

Erik was silent for a few minutes, contemplating.

"I do not like it," he said at last. "But for the moment, it seems I have no choice."

Here he glared at Madame Giry who had the hint of a smile on her face. "Find her proper clothing. I'll be waiting by the chapel."

With a swish of his cape, Erik disappeared into the darkness, leaving Madame Giry and I alone.

"Come, child," she said, grabbing a candle off of her dresser and lighting it. "My daughter Meg is about your size. She will not mind sharing for a while."

I smiled gratefully as she led the way deeper into the Opera house, stopping at another wooden door, opening it slowly so it wouldn't creak.

"Stay here," she whispered, gliding into the room and taking the candle with her. I obeyed, glancing over my shoulder into the darkness. I felt eyes on me and only hoped it was Erik, though that thought didn't really comfort me any more than if a stranger was watching me.

Madame Giry returned a few minutes later with a bundle of clothes in one arm. She handed me the clothing and quietly shut the door behind her before leading me back to her quarters. We stopped before her door where she turned to face me, the candlelight casting weird shadows on both our faces.

"I trust you know how to dress?" she asked, referring to the fact I wasn't from this time. I suppose she took Erik's word as law and didn't question his crazy, yet true, story, which was a good thing for me. As for the clothes, well...I'd figure it out as I went along.

"Yeah," I fibbed. It shouldn't be that hard, right?

"And do you know how to find the pillar?"

I shook my head to that one. It had been so dark and Erik had been walking so quickly that I hadn't been paying attention to where he had led me. Madame Giry gave me an understanding smile.

"Come. I will take you to him."

With that, she moved back the way we came, this time instead of turning right towards the room we had been to before, she turned left down a long hallway. A few twists and turns later, we arrived at the entrance to the chapel where Erik was supposed to be waiting for us. But of course, he was nowhere to be found.

"Erik?" Madame Giry ventured, holding the candle higher so the light could penetrate some of the darkness around us.

There was a soft sigh of wind and the flame of the candle flickered, then went out. Great.

"I have no more matches, Erik," Madame Giry admonished. I spun around to see Erik's tall frame silhouetted by the backdrop of pale blue moonlight.

"You know your way," Erik said smoothly. He held out his hand to me and I took it, grasping the clothing that Madame Giry had given me tightly in my other arm. Erik's deft fingers pushed against the wall in a certain place and the entrance to the tunnel sprung open noiselessly.

"Goodbye, Madame Giry," I whispered before Erik and I plunged, once again, into pitch black darkness, the panel sliding shut behind us.

* * *

The trek back to the lair was pretty much the same as when we made our way aboveground, except for the fact that I didn't get lost this time. After a few minutes of walking, we re-entered the lair and Erik immediately let go of my hand. He stalked passed the organ, me following meekly behind, and pulled aside a heavy black curtain that concealed a doorway in the stone. I skirted around him and gasped at the sight. 

Erik had given me Christine's room.

Well, he really had no choice, but still. It was absolutely breathtaking. Ignoring Erik, I made my way to the large swan bed and gently sat down, savoring the softness of the comforter made out of pinkish-red crushed velvet and the satiny feel of the black sheets. The sheer black curtains were pulled up, hanging over the bed like a canopy. I bounced lightly on the bed, loving the mattress. This was really awesome.

"If you are quite finished, Mademoiselle," Erik interrupted dryly, "You will notice a wardrobe over in the corner where you may hang your things. Goodnight."

With that he left, the curtain swinging shut behind him to cover the doorway. I frowned, but sighed. What did I expect him to do, tuck me in and read me a bedtime story? Hardly. But I _did_ take his advice and went over the full size, ornately carved ebony wardrobe and opened the double doors, pursing my lips. This thing was huge and very, very, empty. A few simple wire hangers hung on a rack that stretched the expanse of the wardrobe, so I grabbed one and wrestled the dress on it, then hung it back up, closing the doors.

There was also a tank top thing and I guessed undergarments that looked remarkably like bermuda shorts. Then I laid eyes on the corset and swore. I had completely forgotten that the corset was a major part of fashion in this era. I quickly stuffed all three items of clothing into a drawer of the bureau (ebony as well, plus it had a mirror above it) that was on the other side of the room where you walked in, shuddering when I touched the corset. I then turned back to the bed to see what was left. Hm, black stockings that went in the drawer, a pair of nice black boots that I put beside the bed, and a simple black shawl that I draped over the bureau counter.

I looked into the oval mirror and frowned at my reflection. My hair was tangled in its ponytail and a few wisps of hair were sticking out from my head at random angles. I quickly took my hair elastic out and shook my head, wishing I had a brush or even a comb. I tried to get as many tangles out that I could, just using my fingers as I kicked off my tennis shoes. I sat on the bed and took my socks off, opting to sleep in the clothes I had on since they were pretty comfortable anyway. I slipped under the covers and blew out the candle that flickered on the tiny bedside table, then lay my head on the black satin pillows.

After such an exhausting day, I immediately slipped off to sleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.


End file.
